Quick-operating dial adjustment for garment shaping machines



Oct. 14, 1941. J. R. FITZGERALD 2,259,369

QUICK-OPERATING DIAL ADJUSTMENT FOR GARMENT SHAPING MACHINES Filed March10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 I7 I 4 Z 27 O O I l I a a 4/ 19 l Z6 Z3 ,47-Z/ 46 /8 46 If .5? I I 26 f. s7 /9 T I5 /4 T v E 5 /4 55 36 B L 45 Z 35gfaknjflfz'iz erafl :NVENTOR Oct. 14, 1941.

J. R. FITZGERALD QUICK-OPERATING DIAL ADJUSTMENT FOR GARMENT SHAPINGMACHINES Filed March 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Joknfif'iizyeraZa,

ATTORN E s WITN E55 Patented Oct. 14, 1941 QUICK-OPERATIN G DIAL GARMENTSHAP 2,259,369 oFFIcE ADJUSTMENT FOR ING MACHmES John R. Fitzgerald,Harlingen, Tex. Application March 10, 1941, Serial No. 382,623

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a quick-operating dial adjustment for garmentshaping machines of the type disclosed in my prior application forpatent on Garment stretchers, filed January 31, 1940, Serial No.316,670; and may beconsidered as an improvement thereon.

Among other objects of the improvement are to provide quickly adjustablesettings for the bust, waist and hip measurements, to provide meanswhereby the machine may be adjusted smaller or larger, even though adress is in place on the machine, to provide positive locking means,with no possibility of slipping once the dial has been set to propermeasurements, and to increase the rapidity of operation by locating thepointer in a fixed position rather than in a movable position, as in theabove mentioned copending application.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will beformed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will beinexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a garment shaping machine equipped withquick operating dial adjustments constructed in accordance with theinvention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, drawn to enlarged scale,showing the construction of the quick operating dial adjustments.

Figure 3 is a detail front elevation showing the scale and thestationary pointer on the case for cooperation with the scale.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view showing the means forlocking the dial in adjusted position and showing the means for securingthe bead chain to the dial.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2,drawn to enlarged scale, and showing the toothed cup shaped member ofthe dial released from the locking means.

In my above referred to prior application, adjusting dials weredisclosed which embodied friction locking means secured in properposition by wing nuts. This mechanism, while satisfactory, is slow, andin lieu thereof the present invention provides quick operating adjustingdials for limiting operation of the beaded chains when the lazy tongsare actuated to shape the flexible side stretching bars to the contourof the dress andhold the dress taut while it is being steamed.

' I stretched. A pair Referring now to the drawings in which likecharacters of reference designate similar parts in the various views,the garment shaping machine embodies briefly, a base casing I 0 fromwhich steam is supplied into the garment being of foot pedals II aremounted on the casing for actuating the stretching mechanism. A flexibleconduit I2 is carried by the upper end of the casing and is providedwith a frame l3 at the top to which skirt spreaders M are secured, theskirt spreaders being the subject matter of a separate application filedon even date herewith. A post l5 extends upward from the casing andsupports a garment hanger l6 at the top. A system of lazy tongs l1 and PI 8 are associated with the post and support on the conduit the outerends thereof flexible side stretching bars L! which coact with flexiblefront and rear stationary stretching bars 20 in holding the dress tautwhile it is being subjected to steam from l2. The lazy tongs areextended by cables 9 and link mechanism, not shown, attached to thepedals II and are provided with helical springs 2| which maintain thelazy tongs normally retracted. These parts are conventional and aredisclosed in my above mentioned prior application.

The mechanism constituting the novelty of the present invention embodiesmeans to be operated prior to the stretching of the garment for limitingmovement of the lazy tongs l1 and I8, depending upon the measurements ofthe garment, and will now be' described.

The lazy tongs limiting mechanism comprises calibrated dials 22, 23 and24, disposed respectively opposite the bust, waist and. hip portions ofthe side stretching bars l9, see Figure 1, one of said dials being shownin front elevation in Figure 3. The calibrations of each dial designatepredetermined measurements. As also shown in Figure 3, a stationarypointer 25 is displayed on the case 26, which is a conventional part ofthe machine and houses the inner ends of the lazy tongs, see-Figure 2.

Each dial is fixed to a respective shaft 21 upon which a sleeve 28 isdisposed to form a bearing for the shaft in the front wall of the case26. The rear end of the shaft is journalled in a bearing 29. The bearing29 is carried by an elongated collar 30' which is integral with thepost. The shaft is' slidable endwise in the bearings 28 and 29.

A cup-shaped member 3| is fixed to the shaft and is provided with teeth32 which extend perpendicular to the cup-shaped member and face the rearsurface of the front wall of the case 26. A stop lug 33 projectsinwardly from the rear face of the front wall of the case and isinterchangeably receivable between the teeth. Preferably, the shaft 21is square and is received in similarly shaped openings in the dial 24and chains 46 and 41,

of the operators hand to compress the spring 34 and move the cup-shapedmember 3| to dis engage the teeth thereof from the stop lug 33 so thatthe dial may be quickly rotated to dis-. pose any desired calibration atthe respective stationary pointer 25. When pressure of the operatorshand is released, the spring 34 forces the dial outwardly and returnsthe cup-shaped member to receive the stop lug 33 between two of itsteeth to lock the dial stationary in adjusted position. i

Mounted on the shaft 21 is a pulley 35, the periphery of which is formedto provide a groove 36 to receive a bead chain 31. One end of the beadchain, see Figure 4, is received in an arcuate socket member 38 which issecured by a screw bolt 39 to the pulley 35. The chain passes around thepulley and through a grommet or guide eye 40 to the exterior of the case26. The free end of the chain is secured to the pivotal connection 4!between the outer end of the respective lazy tong and the sidestretching bar l9, see Figure 1.

The pulley 35 is'rotated by rotation of the respectiveidial when settingthe machine for the desired measurements and the bead chain 31 will beslacked off or reeled upon the pulley accord ing to th direction ofrotation of the pulley. Subsequently when the foot pedals H are operatedto extend the lazy tongs, the lazy tongs will be limited in suchmovement by the length of the chain which may be drawn taut between thepulley and outer end of the lazy tong.

In practice, it has not been found necessary to employ lazy tongs forstretching the waist portion of the garment since the correspondingportion of the stretching bars I9 will be deformed by actuation of theupper and lower lazy tongs. However, to accurately adjust the waistportion of the stretching bars, the intermediate dial 23,before-mentioned, is utilized. The dial, shaft therefor, compressionspring, cup shaped toothed member and stop lug, are identical with thesame parts described to control movement of the lazy tongs and hencehave been given identical designating numerals, The dial is operated inthe same manner as the lazy tong limitingdials, above described.However, the shaft 21 of the waist dial 231s rotatably mounted inabearing opening 42 in the respective integral collar 43 on the post i5,and is equipped with a grooved pulley 44 on one side of the post andwith a grooved pulley 45 on the other side of the post, seeFigure 2.These pulleys receive respective bead which are similar to the beadchains heretofore described, and are connected to the pulleys in thesame manner, but the free ends of the chains are connected to the-sidestretching bars l9 at the waist portion, see Figure 1. The deforming ofthe side stretching bars at the waist portion is limited by the chains46 and 41 in the same manner that the heretofore described chains 31limit extending movement of the lazy tongs.

From the above description, it is thought that the construction andoperation of the invention will be fullyunderstood without furtherexplanation. g "1 What is claimed is;

1. Ina garment: stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carriedby the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by thelazy tongs, the combination of a spring pressed dial calibrated toindicate dress measurements mounted for rectilinear and rotary movementon the support, locking means between the dial and support holding thedial at predetermined settings released by rectilinear movement of thedial to permit setting of the dial, and means connected to the dial andto the stretching bar limiting extending movement of the lazy tongs tocontrol movement of the stretching bar in accordance with a set positionof the dial.

2. In a garment stretching machine having a support, lazy tongscarried'by the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried bythe lazy tongs, the combination of a spring pressed dial calibrated toindicate dress measurements mounted for rectilinear movement and rotarymovement on the support, a flexible connector connected at the outer endto the stretching bar, a shaft connected to the inner end of theflexible connector responsive to rotary movement of the dial adapted tolengthen or shorten the flexible connector to limit extending movementof the lazy tongs to control movement of the stretching bar inaccordance with a set position of the dial, and locking means betweenthe shaft and support holding the dial at predetermined settingsreleased by rectilinear movement of the dial to permit setting of thedial.

3. In a garment stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carriedby the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by thelazy tongs, the combination of a shaft mounted on th support forrectilinear and rotary movement, a pulley carried by the shaft, aflexible connector connected at one end to the pulley and at the otherend to the stretching bar shortened or lengthened by rotary movement ofthe pulley to limit extending movement of the lazy tongs, a cup-shapedmember fixed to the shaft having an annular series of teeth extendingtoward the support, a stop on the support interchangeable between theteeth to hold the shaft stationary, and a spring pressed dial calibratedto indicate dress measurements fixed to the shaft, rectilinear movementof the dial moving the shaft endwise to disengage the teeth from thestop to permit rotation of the dial to a predetermined set position foradjusting the pulley according to the setting of the dial.

4. In a garment stretching machine having a support, lazy tongs carriedby the support, and a flexible garment stretching bar carried by thelazy tongs, the combination of a sliding and rotatable shaft carried bythe support, a calibrated dial fixed to the shaft, a stationary-pointeron the support coacting with the dial, acompression spring between thesupport and the dial holding the shaft at its outer sliding limit, atoothed member fixed to'the shaft, a stationary stop on the supportcoacting with the toothed member to lock the shaft against rotation,rectilinear movement of the dial against pressure of the spring movingthe shaft endwise to disengage the member from the stop and permitrotation of the shaft and of the dial to indicate predetermined garmentmeasurements, and a flexiblecon nector connected to the shaft and to thestretching bar limiting extending movement of the lazy tongs to controlmovement of the stretching bar in accordance with the set position ofthe dial.

' JOHN R. FITZGERALD.

